


Pink Rose Petals

by BlueOranges



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Character Death, Death, Hanahaki Disease, M/M, No happy endings, One-Sided Attraction, Out of Character, Pink Rose Petals, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love, i am in a spiral of mask and aloha damn, is the doctor me? maybe-, probably, probably not well written whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:22:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24725215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueOranges/pseuds/BlueOranges
Summary: Mask has been coughing up petals for a while, and it lands him in the hospital. Now he has to choose, a confession or a surgery?
Relationships: Aloha/Mask (Splatoon)
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies because hanahaki isn't my specialty.

He wasn't sure when it started.

One day he just started coughing up the petals of a pink rose. Wasn't exactly helping his situation given he already had hay fever. 

He's had to hunch over the sides of stages, or find somewhere where no one would find the ink and petals. It was difficult to say the least.

It got worse over the days. Especially when he had to do something with the S4. Now that he thought about it, whenever the pink inkling was around he felt the urge to lurch then and there. 

What did the pink inkling do to him?

Never the less he kept going on with his life like nothing was wrong.

In his mind all he thought about was the other. It made the petals go crazy, yet he continued anyways.

He thought about the other in a romantic manner, something that made him surprised, though he didn't complain. Well, the same can't be said for when the petals showed up. 

In a short amount of time, he managed to show slight affection towards Aloha, and receive some back.

At first it started with a simple hug, then sitting closer than usual, eventually graduating to casual hand holding. Nothing was said between the two, and that's probably why the petals came back.

But this time, they brought thorns. 

The cyan inkling wanted to be with Aloha all the time, not in a weird toxic way, in a more backgroundish way. He wanted to give the inkling small kisses, despite his distaste for physical contact, though it was obviously thrown out the window at this point.

The more he thought, the more his throat became scratched up.

It was in the middle of a match when it happened. The S4 vs Team Blue. 

A minute on the clock, both teams inking at incredible speeds, yet enjoying themselves while doing so. 

Thirty seconds left. 

Specs managed to get the better of Army, that was one section of the map that was gained by Team Blue.

He was taken out by Skull. Aloha painted over the remains. 

Mask stayed in the ink, waiting for a particular inkling to wander by. He heard giggling and sure enough there she was. He burst out of the ink, swinging his carbon at her. 

Bobble was down. 

Mask saw the laser pointed at him, damn. He waited for the impact but it never came.

"C'mon Masky~! You know better than to not be aware that the girls travel in two!

Mask opened his eyes to see Aloha standing next to him, Headphones's gear and weapon sinking into the ink while her soul floated by to their respawn.

"I- _cough cough_ "

No. Mask's eyes widened as he couldn't breathe. He wacked away his gas mask, clasping his hands around his throat as he struggled to make the petals be at bay.

"Woah! Mask, are you okay?!"

Aloha never got an answer.

Mask groaned as his eyes slowly opened to a bright light. Where was he?

He sat up, hesitating every now and then from the pain he felt coursing through his body, looking around the room. Ah. A hospital.

His ears picked up slightly when the door opened, he relaxed when it was just the doctor. 

"Oh, you're awake. That plant did a number on your throat, I wouldn't try talking if I were you."

Mask nodded, though he still had questions. Luckily, the doctor kept talking.

"Your friends rushed you in and we had to perform an emergency extraction. Of course we didn't remove the root of the problem so to speak, just enough so you didn't kick the bucket. We weren't sure whether or not you wanted to keep the feelings for the one you are attracted to."

Mask tilted his head in confusion, the doctor sighed.

"Hanahaki disease. A disease in which the victim coughs up flower petals when they suffer from one-sided love. I noticed that the rose was the same color as one of the inklings that carried you in. I suppose he's the one?"

Mask hesitated, then nodded. The doctor nodded, scribbling down on his clip board.

"Any plans on confessing?"

The doctor grimaced at the head shake.

"...well it's either that or...the surgery. You'll lose the emotions you have for that inkling. If you choose not to do it then... I'm afraid next time this happens we won't be able to save you."

Mask gave a scared look, he didn't know what to do. He didn't want to lose the feelings he had for Aloha, yet he didn't want to confess in fear of rejection. His attention went back to the doctor when he was making his exit.

"Listen kid."

Mask gave the doctor a 'really' face since he didn't look like an adult himself.

"It's better to just tell him. The worse is you'll die never knowing compared to him just saying no and you getting the surgery in time. Trust me. If you get the surgery without ever knowing... you might regret it... the zapfish itself knows I do..."

With that the orange toned doctor took his leave. It left Mask curious, though now he had to think about his own decision.

Risk everything and confess to Aloha? Or just go through with the surgery?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mask dies in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry dude. No happy endings in reality.

It's been days.

Mask had been holed up in his apartment. Living off of old ramen packets and tap water. He hadn't seen the sun in days. His team came by a few times, but eventually they realized they'd get no answer. Just broken coughs. 

The S4 had stopped by, Mask trying to put more distance between him and the front door until he was practically hanging off of his balcony. The fruity voice always made his head hurt and his stomach lurch. Eventually they stopped coming too.

He was sitting on his sofa, staring at the black case under the desk of his monitor. It was mocking him. 

_use me._

He didn't want to. 

Sure, giving up on trying to stop the petals was one thing, but giving up entirely was another.

_you're on borrowed time anyways._

Mask got up and moved to his room. It was true. He was on borrowed time. 

It was supposed to happen summer of XX15. He was only ten, and well... he was just tired. Tired. An easier way to put it. 

He hadn't necessarily thought about how he would do it besides the pills that were on his desk.

Then, his parents told him something. He was getting a baby sister. He couldn't do it now. It'd be stupid.

And he didn't.

Now here he was. Going through life without a plan. He stared at the ceiling, looking at the glow stars. His eyes landed on the pink one, causing a coughing fit to erupt from him.

He grabbed the trash, emptying the petals from him until they stopped. He opened his phone to his notes, not bothering with the tens to hundreds of unopened texts.

His breath hitched.

Where was it?

Where are they?

"No no no no no..."

His journals. What happened to them?

'We are sorry for the inconvenience, but you hadn't accessed your notes in the time frame you were allowed to keep them. Notes permanently delete after the time frame.'

He chuckled. His chuckles turned to laughs. His laughs turned to sobs. 

Everything was gone.

He could never confess now. No evidence to back up whatever he would say. Nothing to help explain himself.

Stupid memories.

Stupid Mask.

Stupid stupid stupid stupid.

Mask started coughing again. He didn't bother with getting the trash can. He coughed and coughed.

He waited for it to stop, but all he got was fully fledged blooms with stems. He couldn't breathe.

Mask started to panic. Not understanding why they haven't stopped. It was usually over by now.

_"I'm afraid next time this happens we won't be able to save you."_

Ah- right. He steadied himself. He might as well accept it. Just like his journals, he was going to be permanently deleted. All because he didn't stick to the time frame.

He laid down, suffocating on the flowers. It only took a second.

He was one with the stars now. Just liked he planned to be all those years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The black case in the living room can help my brain go _boom_

**Author's Note:**

> hmm... mask confesses or gets the surgery... decisions decisions...


End file.
